The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) announced that two experimental China-made COVID-19 vaccines will be offered to aviation industry employees. The decision to inoculate aviation professionals has reportedly been taken as a measure to prevent a possible second wave of coronavirus infections after economies reopen.
China already has four experimental vaccines in the final trial stage. Two of them have already been approved for emergency usage as a part of the country’s programme to vaccinate people in high-risk groups. However, none of the experimental vaccines has passed the final trials yet.
The CAAC stated that frontline workers of the aviation industry will be offered to get vaccinated with one of the approved experimental vaccines on a voluntary basis.
As CAAC revealed, the priority to get voluntary vaccines will be given for workers of Chinese airlines, airports, China National Aviation Group and TravelSky Technology. The regulator has requested the employers mentioned above to make a list of their employees wishing to get vaccinated and provide all the needed personal information to the authority.
“In response to a possible second wave of infections erupting in the fall and winter, and to the huge pressure facing our work of preventing imported cases as western countries reopen despite the pandemic”, added CAAC in its notice.
It is not known yet which one of the two experimental vaccines will be used and how many employees will get vaccinated.